(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1077 unmarried; and Agnes, who died at Columbus, in 1886. Peter W. Doyle was twenty-four years of age when he came to Ohio -and located at the town of Hudson. For a time he worked for the Straight cheese factory, and from 1879 until 1883, he engaged in farming for W. I. Chamberlain. From there he worked for Harvey Baldwin for three years, and at several other places prior to 1888, when he went to William Post's farm in Hudson Township. where he continued until 1892. He then came to his present farm, which he bought from W. B. Straight. He has made many improvements here and has a valuable property. On April 25, 1881, Mr. Doyle was married to Mary Raleigh, who was born near North-. ampton, Ohio, who is a daughter of Edward and Mary (Ryan) Raleigh. They have had eight children, two of whom, twins, died in infancy. The others are: Sarah T., Mary Leona, Edward Walter, Leo Ignatius, Joanna Agnes; and Dorothy. Mr. Doyle and family belong to the Catholic Church at Hudson, of which he is secretary and one of the trustees. He is a member of the Board of Education of Hudson Township. In local affairs, Mr. Doyle votes independently, but in National affairs he supports the candidates of the Democratic party. ALLEN F. HOFFMAN, one of the lead-Mg business citizens of Kenmore, Ohio, where he holds the office of postmaster, was born on his father's farm in Medina County, Ohio, May 4, 1862, and is a son of Adam W. and Julia (Sutter) Hoffman. Isaac Hoffman, grandfather of Allen F., came from Pennsylvania to Ohio as a pioneer and settled in Mahoning County, later removing to Burbank, Wayne County, where he died. Mr. Hoffman was a mason by trade, but in his later years engaged in farming. He had three children: Joseph, who died when a boy; Caroline, who was the wife of .T. Baker; and Adam W., the father of Allen F. Adam W. Hoffman grew up on his father's, farm and was reared to agricultural pursuits, which he carried on in his younger years. He now holds a responsible position as stationary engineer at Burbank. He married Julia Sutter, who was born in Pennsylvania and who came to Ohio with her parents. Allen F. was the only child born of this union. Allen F. Hoffman attended the common schools and the Burbank High School, after graduating from which he began work as a clerk in a hardware store. He then spent some time in the hardware, grocery and post office of William Frary. In 1899 he removed to Barberton and entered the employ of the Barberton Hardware Company, in which he became a stock holder. His present place of business was then a branch of this company, he being the general manager thereof, and in 1907 he and his son Max L. purchased this place which is known as the Kenmore Supply Company. Mr. Hoffman handles general merchandise, hardware, dry goods and groceries, and enjoys a steady trade. He is a director and stock holder in the People's Savings and Banking Company of Barberton, at which place he owns property. In 1901 Mr. Hoffman was appointed postmaster at Kenmore, being the first to hold that office here, and he was one of the organizers of the Fourth Class Postmasters' League, of which he was elected president. Mr. Hoffman is connected fraternally with the Knights of the Maccabees. With his family he attends 'the United Brethren Church of Barberton. Mr. Hoffman married Alta M. Luse, who is a daughter of W. B. and Sarah (Felton) Luse. The fruit of this marriage is one child —Max L.—who at present is associated with his father in business, having been formerly connected with the Babcox-Wilcox Company of New York City. He married Olive G. Hoak. who is a daughter of Rev. J. T. Hoak. Mr. Hoffman is located on Kenmore Boulevard, Kenmore, Ohio. GENERAL CHARLES DICK. The State of Ohio has only once come to Summit County for a United States Senator. That was in February, 1904, when Charles Dick, 1078 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY then representing the nineteenth district in Congress, was triumphantly elected to the higher station. The fact that a trainload of the representative citizens of Akron journeyed to Columbus to be present at the joint-session of the legislature electing him, is evidence of the esteem in which he is held by his neighbors. Most of those who have risen to high places during their residence in Summit County were born elsewhere. Most of them had the advantages of a splendid education obtained elsewhere. The subject of this sketch, on the other hand, is, in all respects, a product of our own county. He was born in the city of Akron, November 3, 1858: His parents were very poor, but eminently respectable people. His father, Gottlieb Dick, was born in Germany, and besides being able to rear his family in comfort and give them the benefit of the public schools education, he had not found America to be a place of riches for all who came to it. His mother, Mary M. (Handel) Dick, was also of German ancestry. In September, 1864, he began his education in the Akron public schools and completed it by graduation from the Akron High School with the class of 1876. He was then compelled by circumstances to begin a business career at once and he secured a position as clerk in the store for men's furnishings on the corner of Market and Howard Streets, then kept by Chipman & Barnes. He clerked for two years, continuing his studies the meanwhile, especially the business branches. The banking concern known as The Citizens' Savings and Loan Association, since merged with The Second National Bank, offered him a position as bookkeeper and teller, which he accepted and honorably filled for a period of six years. His next advance was in 1879 when he became bookkeeper for the J. F. Seiberling Co., manufacturers of the Empire mowers and reapers. In 1881, he formed a partnership with Lucius C. Miles, a son-in-law of Mr. Seiberling, under the firm name of Dick and Miles, and together they conducted the leading grain and commission business of the city. In February, 1890, J. Ed. Peterson, brother-in-law of Mr. Dick, succeeded Mr. Miles in the partnership. The new firm of Dick & Peterson continued until the increasing political responsibilities of Mr. Dick made it necessary for him to withdraw from the active conduct of the business. In the spring of 1886, Mr. Dick was nominated for Auditor by the Republicans of Summit County, after one of the hardest fights in Summit County's history. The Republican ticket that year was elected by good pluralities, and Mr. Dick took up the duties of auditor early in 1887. In 1889, he was re-elected and served the county faithfully until the expiration of his second term in 1893. In the conscientious discharge of his duties, he felt obliged to proceed against some of Akron's wealthy and most influential citizens because of their failure to list personal property for taxation. It was at best a disagreeable and unwelcome task ; but he performed it faithfully and to the satisfaction of the great mass of citizens of the county, even though one or two unavoidable enmities resulted from this resolve of a conscientious office-holder to perform his full duty, without fear or favor. As an evidence of the commendation accorded his course, his second election as county auditor was by a largely increased majority over his first. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1894, and to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1897. For about ten years he was senior member of the law firm of Dick, Doyle & Bryan at Akron, Ohio, until this partnership disbanded upon the election of Mr. Doyle to the Common Pleas bench. Senator Dick was continuously and more or less actively interested in many of Akron's industrial and financial institutions until the point was reached when his genius (for such it is) for organization in the political field was afforded full opportunity to display itself and consumed most of his time. His first experience was as member and chairman of the Summit County Republican Committee, with which he was actively identi- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1079 fied for a long time. Splendid success crowned his efforts, and throughout his entire public career of more than a score of years, practically all political contests under his leadership have resulted victoriously. No one having knowledge of his record would assume to question his fame and merit as a great political general. In 1892 he was made Chairman of the Ohio Republican State Executive Committee, in which capacity he is still serving, and during more than a decade of his service as State Chairman increasing majorities have been piled up for the Republican ticket. In 1895-6 he co-operated most effectively with Senator Hanna in promoting the canvass of William McKinley for nomination as Republican candidate for President, and during the ensuing campaign officiated as Secretary of the Chicago headquarters of the Republican National Committee, continuing as Secretary of that Committee until 1900. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1892 and 1896, and delegate-at-large from Ohio to the Republican National Conventions of 1900 and 1904. In recognition of the statesmanlike qualities he had displayed and of his efforts in be half of the party, the Republican Congressional convention at Warren, in June, 1898, nominated him as its candidate for the House of Representatives. He was selected from a field of most worthy opponents after a hard fight. In March, 1899, he began his duties at Washington as Congressman and has been a national figure ever since. He was re-elected in 1900 and in 1902. In February, 1904, on the death of Senator Hanna, he was elected to the United States Senate, to serve the remainder of the term expiring in 1905, and also for the full term expiring in 1911, receiving the unanimous vote of his party in the Ohio General Assembly. Mr. Dick's career in Congress has been such as to justify fully all the confidence and hopes which the people of Ohio have had in him. Senator Dick is the author of the Dick Militia Law, was the main instrument in securing its passage, and has actively participated in much other important legislation. The Militia Law put the affairs of the entire National Guard on a practical and efficient basis for the first time in our history. He is now Chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining, and a member of several important committees, including that on Naval Affairs. Early in his career Mr. Dick became interested in military affairs and joined Company B of the Eighth Regiment, 0. N. G. He rose by steady promotion to be captain of the company, and in 1888 was elected major of the Eighth Regiment. He was afterward made colonel and brigadier general, and finally, in 1904, he was put at the head of the Ohio National Guard with the rank of major-general. He is also president of The Interstate National Guard Association. In 1898, on the breaking out of the war with Spain, Lieutenant-Colonel Dick went to the front with the Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served with the regiment in the short Cuban campaign. He was not one of the officers participating in the famous "Round Robin," but was chosen and detailed by General Shafter as the one to make personal representation to President McKinley and the War Department concerning the precarious situation of our troops in Cuba after the cessation of hostilities. Mr. Dick was married to Miss Carrie May Peterson, of Akron, on June 30, 1881. Seven children have been born to them, of whom five are now living, namely: Carl P., James E., Lucius A., Grace and Dorothy. MORDECAI JOHN MORRIS, superintendent of the Massillon Navarre Coal Company, the mines of which are situated four miles northwest of Clinton, in Summit County, with offices at Massillon and Cleveland, is a practical coal miner and has had years of experience in the mining field, both as a worker and as an official. Mr. Morris was born in Cumbach, Wales, the name of his home being translated into English as "little valley," March 17, 1849, and is a son of John and Ann (Edmunds) Morris. The father of Mr. Morris was a mining 1080 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY engineer who was educated at Oxford University. After his marriage he emigrated to America, locating at Youngstown, Ohio, in 1845, where he engaged in a mining business with his cousin, David Morris, later coming to Summit County, where David Morris operated the Chippewa mines in Franklin Township, John Morris entering his employ. He was accidentally killed on the railroad at Orrville, in 1854, at the age of sixty-five year, His widow survived to the age of seventy-two years, dying in Arkansas. Of their family of twenty children, the following survive: Margaret, who married Benjamin Morris; Jane, who married Peter Brown ; Martha, who married William Jones; William and Mordecai John. Five of the sons proved their patriotism during the Civil War, namely: John, William, Thomas, Benjamin and Mordecai, all of whom were brave soldiers, several of them gaining distinction. John and William were members of the Thirty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, William being captain of Company D, and John being first sergeant. Thomas was a member of Company A, Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served in that regiment for four years and six months. Benjamin was a member of Company H, Ninetieth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and Mordecai served in Company G, 179th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. It was brave John Morris who was the engineer that blew up Fort Hill, at Vicksburg, his death following from wounds received. Mordecai J. Morris was a child when the family came to the United States, several weeks being passed on the sailing vessel that transported them. He went to school in a little stone structure that still stands across the road from his residence in Franklin Township, and later attended the Union School at Massillon. His first experience as a miner came while still very young. He found employment in Clark's mine at Massillon, first as mule driver and later as laborer, and he was thus employed when the Civil War was declared. Although but sixteen years of age he was of robust figure and when he offered his services he looked capable of carrying a gun and was accepted as a member of the 179th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he served from 1864 until the close of the war, in the meanwhile participating in the battles of Franklin and Nashville. After the end. of his military service, Mr. Morris returned for a short time to Massillon, from which place he went to Mineral Ridge, in Trumbull County, where he worked for his uncle until 1868. From there he wen to Brazil, Indiana, in the heart of the coal fields, and was made assistant superintendent of the Clay Coal Company of Indiana, his brother 'William at that time being general superintendent. He remain there for two years and then accepted the position of superintendent of the Sand Creek Coal Company of Parke County, Indiana, and continued there until the great business depression caused by the panic of 1873. Mr. Morris then went back to Summit County and subsequently became superintendent of the Johnston Coal Company. The mines of this company are located five miles south of Akron. He continued to perform the duties of this office for five years, becoming well known. Mr. Morris then went to Massillon, where he became superintendent of the Massillon Pigeon Run Coal Company, remaining for five years with that concern, and then spent one year as superintendent of the J. F. Card Coal Company, at Wadsworth, Ohio. In 1882, Mr. Morris retired from the coal mining business for a time, and turned his attention to farming on his father-in-law's property until 1887. At that time he went to Springfield, Missouri, where he embarked in a real estate and mining business, which he carried on until 1893, when he returned to Summit County. He is interested in several mine properties in this section and is superintendent of one of the large coal industries of this part of Ohio. On April 16, 1876, Mr. Morris was married to Sarah Ellen Rhodes, who is a daughter of Peter and Nancy Rhodes. Mr. and Mrs. Morris belong to the United Brethren Church. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1083 Politically, Mr. Morris is a Republican and is serving as a member of the Republican County Central Committee. As far back as the Morris family can be traced, its occupations have been mining and farming. L. M. KAUFFMAN, a prominent member of one of the representative families of Summit County, a large land owner in Franklin Township, and president of the Summit County Agricultural Society, was born on his present farm of 200 acres in the southeastern corner of Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, January 25, 1851, and is a son of William and Catherine (Stump) Kauffman. John and Mary (Young) Kauffman, the paternal grandparents of Mr. Kauffman, came to Ohio overland in 1827 from Pennsylvania and settled for a short time near Uniontown, whence they removed to Franklin Town- ship, and purchased 160 acres of the present farm of the subject of this sketch for about $450, receiving a deed therefor signed by President Andrew Jackson, which is still in the possession of Mr. Kauffman. This land had been entered prior to this time, but little clearing had been done on it. In their later years John and Mary (Young) Kauffman retired to Manchester, where Mr. Kauffman died in 1876, at the age of seventy-nine years, and his wife in 1867. They were the parents of two children: William, the father of L. M.; and Sophia E., who married Jonathan Sours and resides in Illinois. William Kauffman grew up on the Franklin Township farm, his education being secured in the schools of Manchester. He became a prominent citizen and leading agriculturist of his section, and at his early death in 1859, at the age of thirty-four years, the township and county lost a good and useful man. For some year Mr. Kauffman had served on the School Board, and he had always taken a great interest in educational work. He was married to Catherine Stump, who also came from Pennsylvania when young, and she still survives him. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman, namely : Rev. J. C. Kauffman, D. D., who graduated from Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio, and is now a resident of Mount Carmel, Illinois; L. M.; Mary, who died in 1859; Ella, who married Dr. J. M. Sissler, now deceased; William F., who died in 1859; and Rev. S. S. Kauffman, D. D., a graduate of Wittenberg College, and of Union Seminary, New York City, who now resides at Chicago, Illinois. L. M. Kauffman removed with the family to Manchester after the death of his father, and there he secured his education in the public schools. He then attended Greensburg Academy, and at the age of sixteen years commenced teaching, which he continued for many years in Franklin Township, although his first tern) was in Coventry Township. Since retiring from the educational profession Mr. Kauffman has given his entire attention to farming and stock-raising, and his fine farm is one of the best improved and most valuable in Franklin Township. Mr. Kauffman is a Democrat in politics, and has been very prominent in public life. For about twenty years he was a member of the School Board, most of which time he was its president, and resigned from that position in 1906, at which time he was elected township treasurer. He has been on the ,Fair Board for nineteen years, representing Franklin Township, has served in the capacity of vice-president for some years, and since 1905 has been the official president of this important organization. With his family he belongs to the Lutheran Church, in which he is superintendent of the Sunday School and a deacon. Mr. Kauffman takes rank among the solid, substantial men of the township. Mr. Kauffman was married to Amanda E. Marsh, who died January 22, 1903. She was a daughter of George L. and Elizabeth (Rayne) Marsh, of Franklin Township. Of this union there has been born a family of four children, namely: Leman W., who married Myrta V. Guiley, and died June 7, 1904, aged thirty years, leaving two children —Lenore and Kathryn; Edna E.; Myrtle E., and Edgar M. All of these children have 1084 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY been actively concerned in educational work as teachers in the public schools. CLARENCE EDWARD DIEHL, who owns 140 acres of excellent farming land in Green Township, was born October 2, 1873, on his father's farm near Manchester, Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, and is a son of William and Eliza M. (Diehl) Diehl. William Diehl was born in York County, Pennsylvania. He served throughout the Civil War, and although never wounded, he was confined in a hospital for several months with typhoid fever. He returned to Pennsylvania after the war, but shortly thereafter moved to Ohio and settled on a small farm south of Manchester, in Franklin Township, Summit County. There he resided until after his marriage, when he removed to the 165-acre farm now owned by his son, Clarence E. Diehl. On this property William Diehl resided until retiring from farm work, in 1905, when he moved to Barberton, where he is a foreman in the Barberton Boiler Works. Mr. Diehl was married in Franklin Township, to Eliza M. Diehl, who was born in that township, and is a daughter of Daniel Diehl, a pioneer of Summit County. Daniel Diehl reached this section with but fifty cents in his pocket, and lived to become the owner of 11,000 acres of land in addition to other property. To Mr. and Mrs. Diehl the following children. were born : Hattie, who married C. C. Swigart; Clarence Edward; Curtis; Bertha, who married H. Thornton ; Claude; Wallace and Harley, twins; and Grace and Maude, the latter three being deceased. Clarence Edward Diehl was one year old when the family settled on the old Diehl farm on the township line, and there he spent his boyhood days. He attended the district school and spent one year at the High School at Manchester. Until his marriage he worked on his father's farm, after which he bought a one-half interest in the farm where Otis Tritt now lives. He cultivated this property for three years, but subsequently moved to East Liberty. Mr. Diehl was married in September, 1900, to Laura M. Foust, who is a daughter o Frederick and Lucetta (Keplar) Foust, th former of whom died in 1902. The latter r sides at East Liberty. One child has bee born to Mr. and Mrs. Diehl, namely: Lotti N. Mr. Diehl is an active member of th Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He is Democrat in politics, and he has served thre terms as school director and has also bee road supervisor. He is a member of th Lutheran Church. Mrs. Diehl belongs to th Reformed Church. GEORGE W. FOUST, township trustee and owner of sixty-three acres of farm land in Coventry Township, is one of the prominent citizens of this section. He was born Jul 5, 1842, in Coventry Township, Summit County, Ohio, and is a son of George an Nelly (Farnsworth) Foust. George Foust was born in Pennsylvania and grew to manhood in his native locality there learning the wagon-making trade. After his marriage, Mr. Foust emigrated to Ohio making the journey in wagons, and in 1832 settled in the woods of Coventry Township where he purchased a small farm and erected a wagon-making shop. He also carried o farming to some extent, and was an indus trious and useful citizen. His old sledge ham mer, used by him for many years, is now in the possession of his son, George W. Mr. Foust died in 1878 at the age of 72 years, an his widow, who was born in 1810, passe away about five years later. Of the seve children born to Mr. and Mrs. Foust, five grew to maturity, namely: Louisa, who is the widow of E. McCamm ; Julia, now deceased, who was the wife of E. Sholley ; George Washington ; Elizabeth, who married J. Hemmelrick ; and Frank J. George W. Foust attended the old district school near his home, where he obtained fair education. He remembers a custom which was in vogue at that time, that each family with children attending school should furnish wood according to the number of pupils. Mr. Foust remained at home until after his marriage, and in 1869 purchase AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1085 forty-two acres of land from Andrew Metzler, later adding thereto from time to time until he became one of the township's large landholders. This property, which is bounded on the south by the Erie Railroad, is situated about three miles southwest of the city of Akron, and is well cultivated and very valuable. Mr. Foust recently sold forty-two acres of his land for town lots, and the remainder is rented by him, he having retired from active pursuits. In political matters he is a Democrat, and in 1900 he was elected to the office of township trustee, a position which he still holds. On March 3, 1867, Mr. Foust was united in marriage with Marietta Triplet, who was a daughter of John and Laura (Bellows) Triplet, and whose grandfather was a laborer on the canal at fifty cents per day. Mr. and Mrs. Foust attended the same district school, having grown up together in the same school district. Mrs. Foust died May 3, 1905, aged fifty-eight years, having been the mother of two children, namely: Adda, who married Peter Carl, resides at Akron and has two children—Bessie and Park; and Lilly B., who married John Wagoner, resides at Akron and has four children—Ernest, Florence, Harold and Ethel: Mr. Foust is a member of the Evangelical Church, which at the present time he is serving as trustee. F. M. COOKE, secretary of the Bruner-Goodhue-Cooke Company, of Akron, and also of the Akron Building and Loan Association, with offices at No. 136 South Main Street, is one of the popular and successful young business men of this city. He was born at Middlepoint, Van Wert County, Ohio, in 1869. At the age of fourteen years, Mr. Cooke went to Bluffton, Ohio, and was graduated from the Bluffton High School, after which, in 1886, he entered Buchtel College, where he was graduated in 1891, with the degree of A. B. He at once accepted a position with the Crescent Fire Insurance Company, of Cleveland, where lie remained one year. In June, 1892, he entered the office of Wilcox & Noah, at Akron, and when a stock company was formed, in 1897, he became secretary of the Wilcox-Bruiser Company, which became the Bruner-Goodhue-Cooke Company in 1899. Since June, 1894, he has also been secretary of the Akron Building and Loan Association, having been assistant secretary for many years prior to that date. He is also a stockholder in several other important business enterprises of this city. Mr. Cooke is president of the Akron Board of Underwriters and past president of the Ohio Association of Fire Insurance Agents. He belongs to the Board of Trustees of Buchtel College, being a member of the Executive Committee. In 1897, Mr. Cooke was married to Mabel K. Page, who is a daughter of Thomas S. Page, of Akron. Mr. Cooke is a Thirty-second Degree Mason, has held all the offices in the Blue Lodge, and was worshipful master of Adoniram Lodge, in 1903: He is president of the Akron Masonic Club and is a member of the Portage Country Club. MARTIN LIMBACH, JR., a prominent citizen and representative business man of Clinton, Ohio, who is a member of the well-known firm of Limbach Brothers, was born July 4, 1852, in Bavaria, Germany, and is a son of Martin and Mary (Zepp) Limbach. Martin Limbach, Sr., was born in 1806 in Bavaria, Germany, where he carried on shoemaking and farming until the fall of 1852, when with his family he came to America, where his son George had come some time before. The family made their way to Massillon, via Cleveland, and in 1853 came to Clinton, where Mr. Limbach established a shoe business, and here continued the remainder of his life. His death occurred March 28, 1885. Mr. Limbach married Mary Zepp, who was horn September 12, 1808, and died September 14, 1863, and to them were born a family of eight children : George; Christina, who married John A, Weil; Mary, who married Peter Miller; Henry; Jacob, of Clinton ; Balzer, who was last heard of in the West, where he had gone in 1867; Adam, who is in partnership with Martin; and Martin. 1086 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Martin Limbach, Jr., spent his boyhood at Clinton, where he attended the district schools, and also went for a short time to the public schools at Ashland, after which he worked for a time at farming and at driving his brother Jacob's canal boat. In 1867 he started to learn the shoemaker's trade with his brother Henry, and this he has followed successfully to the present time. For thirty years he had the agency of the Domestic sewing machines, and in this time became well known throughout this part of the country. He and his brother Adam then formed a partnership and started a shoe business in a small way. In 1872 they began adding factory stock to their supply, and they now carry a full stock of all the best lines of shoes. In 1887 they built the first brick block in Clinton and they now own all of the brick business buildings in Clinton except one. Martin Limbach also owns much property in Texas, as well as throughout Summit County. He is vice-president of the Clinton Savings Bank. In polities he is a Democrat, and has served one term as township treasurer and two terms as jury commissioner. On November, 22, 1879, Mr. Limbach was married to Minnie M. Casenhiser, who is a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Emory) Casenhiser. W. E. WILSON, junior member of the firm of Betzler and Wilson, manufacturers of the Betzler. and Wilson Fountain Pen, a prospering industry at Akron, came to this city in 1878. He was born at Niles, Ohio, November 3, 1869, and was about nine years old when his parents—James and Isabella (Biggers) Wilson—located in Akron. Mr. Wilson was educated in the Akron schools and, being an ambitious boy, early began to be self-supporting, securing a position with the B. F. Goodrich Company while still young. He was faithful and industrious and remained with that company and the American Hard Rubber Company until 1891. He then went to Cincinnati, where he was engaged in the fountain pen business until 1892, when he returned to Akron and, in partnership with J. F. Betzler, established the firm of Betzler and Wilson, for the manufacture of the fountain pen bearing the name of the firm. The business has prospered and fifteen men are employed in the factory at Nos. 5456 South Street, while four traveling salesmen represent the firm on the road.. They manufacture 100 different styles of pen, making a specialty of the Betzler and Wilson Self-filling Pen. In 1892 Mr. Wilson was married to Ella I. Gregory, of Akron. He is a Thirty-second Degree Mason and belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council at Akron, the Alkoran Shrine and the Lake Erie Consistory at Cleveland. He is prominent also as an Odd Fellow, belonging to both branches of the order. Mr. Wilson, like Mr. Betzler, is an enterprising business man, one who not only under- stands the demands of the public for a first-class article, but knows also how to push its sale. The firm stands high as a business house of Akron. CHRISTIAN VOGT, a retired capitalist of Akron, was born in Germany, in 1846, and was six years of age when his parents brought him to America, locating in Springfield Township, Summit County, Ohio, near the old Western Reserve mill. They were John and Susan M. (Selzer) Vogt, the former of whom died on his farm in Springfield Township, September 8, 1856, being survived by his widow until 1886. Left fatherless when still young, Christian Vogt had heavy responsibilities fall on his shoulders, and had fewer advantages than would have been his had his father's life been longer. Whenever he had the opportunity he attended school, but most of his time until he was sixteen years old was spent in working on a. farm and in the coal mines. He subsequently came to Akron, where he learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked until 1876. Then he opened a business of his own, which he conducted for about fifteen years, prospering in the meanwhile, and at various times being a good judge of values, investing in property. In 1880 he built the Vogt block, on the corner of Buchtel Avenue and AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1089 Main Street, a fine brick structure, 62 by 60 feet in dimension in its main part, and 40 by 60 in the rear, and another three-story frame 25 by 60 feet. Mr. Vogt owns a considerable amount of real estate in other parts of the city. In 1869, Mr. Vogt was married to Mary E. McDonald, who is a member of an old Summit County family Politically Mr. Vogt is a Democrat and is his party's nominee for membership on the Board of Public Service, a position for which he is eminently fitted. Perhaps no citzen of Akron has done more to improve and beautify the city than has lie. Its public parks have been improved greatly through his deep interest in the work, which he has carried on more or less for twenty-three years, and for which he has never accepted any compensation. He served fifteen years as a park commissioner, four years on the School Board and for four years occupied a seat in the City Council. A true, public-spirited citizen, he has worked for the betterment of Akron from unselfish motives. SAMUEL FREDERICK, superintendent of the roads of District No. 3, Portage Township, is a leading citizen of this section and now lives retired from agricultural pursuits, at his comfortable home on Wooster Avenue, Sherbondy Hill. He was born at Doylestown, Wayne County, Ohio, February 27, 1831, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Rasor) Frederick. Jacob Frederick was born at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, and at Doylestown was married to Margaret Rasor, who was born in Trumbull County, Ohio. In 1841 Jacob Frederick moved from Doylestown to Copley Township, Summit County, where he purchased his first farm of eighty-four acres, to which he subsequently added until he owned 120 acres of excellent land. In partnership with his eldest son, Samuel, he bought forty acres of timberland, twenty of which came later into Samuel's possession. Both parents of Samuel Frederick died in Copley Township, Mrs. Frederick passing away first, followed by her husband four years later, when he had reached his eighty-fourth year. They were people of high character, honest, industrious and kind. For sixty-one years Samuel Frederick was a resident of Copley Township, the period covered being from the age of ten years to 1901, when he retired from his farm and settled at Sherbondy Hill. In early manhood Mr. Frederick went to. Wadsworth and worked at the shoemaking trade with his uncle, John Rasor, but did not continue at this trade very long, later learning the cooper's trade, at which he worked for several years, making flour barrels. He purchased his first farm in Copley Township, shortly after his marriage in 1851 and lived on it for almost fifty years. It contains 127 acres and is a good property. For sixteen years Mr. Frederick operated a threshing machine, engaging for two years in threshing clover seed, and during the last season he made the record of 1,300 bushels of this seed. In the meantime, he bought an acre of land on Sherbondy Hill, on which his son built a barn and comfortable residence, and in 1901 Mr. Frederick sold his farm to Hustus Keppler and removed to this quiet home. In 1851, at Wadsworth, Ohio, Mr. Frederick was married to Sarah Fryman, a daughter of Daniel Fryman. Mrs. Frederick was born in Pennsylvania and died in Copley Township, September 8, 1901. She was a woman of many Christian virtues and was the mother of the following children : Susan, Benjamin F., John H. Jacob, Eliza, Ellen Elizabeth, Daniel and George Byron. The survivors are: Susan; Benjamin F., who resides in Portage Township; Ellen Elizabeth, who married M. J. Lohr, and died November 8, 1907; and Daniel, who resides also in Portage Township. Mr. Frederick has been a leader in township affairs for many years and has frequently held offices of responsibility. He served as trustee and as road supervisor in Copley Township and now fills an important office in Portage Township. He is a member of the Loyal Oak Lutheran Church, having joined this religious body at Doylestown, when but eighteen years of age. For sixty years he has kept the faith and lived according to the 1090 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY precepts of his church. He is widely known and universally respected. FREDERICK W. McCHESNEY, a leading citizen of Springfield Township, in which his family has been an old and honored one for several generations, was born at Krumroy, Summit County, Ohio, March 11, 1860, and is a son of William and Louisa (Grassard) McChesney. The father of Mr. McChesney was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and was seven years old when his parents moved to Ohio and settled on the farm now occupied and owned by William H., their grandson. They died in the house in which Frederick W. was born. William McChesney was reared in Springfield Township and became a man of property—owning 250 acres of land—and of much local prominence. It was mainly through his efforts that the Valley Railroad was extended through this section, and he gave the land for the site of the depot and even helped to build it. His death occurred in the fall of 1905, when he was in his eighty-ninth year. He married Louisa Grassard, who was born in France and was a daughter of Peter Grassard, who served as a soldier under the great .Napoleon, afterward coming to America. She died January 25, 1897. Of the six children born to William and Louisa McChesney, Charles died in infancy. The survivors are : Edward A., residing in Springfield Township, a farmer, contractor and builder, married Sarah Wise; William H., residing on the old homestead, which he owns, married Lucy Thompson ; Philora E., residing at Akron, the wife of George L. Sypher; Herman G., residing at Akron, married Lucy Wright, a daughter of Hon. Thomas Wright, formerly a member of the State. Legislature from Summit County (Lucy Wright McChesney died December 14, 1907) ; and Frederick W. Frederick W. McChesney was educated in the public schools of Springfield Township, and after attaining manhood, he engaged in farming and in real estate and loans. In 1884 he settled on his present farm of 115 acres, which he has placed under fine cultivation. He has done much improving and in 1904 he built his fine bank barn, 80 by 40 feet in dimensions. It is of modern architecture and is equipped with all sanitary conveniences. He carries on mixed farming and dairying! and keeps first-class mulch cows. His land is situated on the Massillon road and near Springfield Lake and close to the city of Akron. March 6, 1884, Mr. McChesney was married to Nettie Yerrick, who was born in Springfield Township and is a daughter of Cyrus and Catherine (Swinehart) Yerrick, the former of whom was formerly a justice of the peace in this township. Mrs. McChesney before her marriage was a teacher in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. McChesney have six children, namely : Maud, Leo, Lure, Fred, Mark and John. All the children have had superior educational advantages. Politically, Mr. McChesney is a Republican, and has taken an active part in party work, attending many important conventions as a delegate. He has served as a member of the Springfield Township School Board for fourteen years, and has assisted in bringing the schools of his township to a high standard excelled by few in the state of Ohio. With his family, he belongs to the Presbyterian Church. NEWTON CHALKER, a retired lawyer of Akron, who has been identified with both the business and professional life of the city for over thirty years, is generally recognized as one of Akron's prominent men. The Chalker family originated in England and became established about 1640 in Connecticut, and in 1805 in Ohio. James Chalker, the grandfather of Newton Chalker, was born at Saybrook, Connecticut, where he married Mercy Norton, and with his wife and an infant son he came to the Western Reserve, locating in Southington, Trumbull County, in the year 1805. Selecting a location in the midst of the forest, he built a cabin of logs, and entered upon a pioneer existence. He lived until 1867, his span of life covering AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1091 ninety years, and the death of his aged wife but shortly preceding his own. They reared thirteen children—Orrin, Joseph, Edmond, James, Phcebe, Anna, Polly, Calvin, Daniel, Philander, Harrison, Allen and Mercy. James Chalker, Jr., the father of Newton, was born in Southington, June 15, 1811. His educational opportunities were confined to three winter terms in an old log schoolhouse, situated one mile east of Southington Center, but by much reading he became in after years well versed in history, and was also a thorough student of the Bible. When a young man he purchased on credit a tract of fifty acres of woodland, located two miles west of Southington Center, where, after years of earnest labor, he established a comfortable home for himself and family. He eventually became one of the largest land owners in the township, having added to his original property from time to time. Mr. Chalker was married (first) to Eliza Jane Hyde, of Farmington, who died in 1849, leaving three children : Byron, who became a farmer, and died in Southington at the age of fifty-two years; Newton, subject of this article; and Columbus, who died at the age of twenty-seven years; another child, Benson, died in infancy. In 1851 Mr. Chalker was married (second) to Adeline Timmerman, who was born in the state of New York, and they had two daughters, Mary Jane and Bertha. The former married A. J. Morris, a resident of Southington, and died in her thirty-seventh year. The latter became the wife of Thomas McConnell, a resident of Youngstown, Ohio. James Chalker died September 23, 1893, having passed his eighty-second birthday. For years he was a pillar of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Newton Chalker, the subject of this sketch, was born in Southington, Trumbull County, Ohio, September 12, 1842, and was the third, but is now the only surviving, son of the above named James, Jr., and Eliza J. Chalker. In childhood and early youth 'he lived and labored on the farm of his father, and attended the district schools until he was fourteen years of age, after which, for six years, at irregular intervals, he was a student at the Western Reserve Seminary, West Farmington, Ohio, at times boarding himself and doing the janitor work of the school to pay his room rent and tuition; in the meanwhile becoming a very successful district school teacher. Beginning at the age of sixteen years he taught successively the winter term in the townships of Braceville, Southington, Parkman and Champion, in Ohio, and Litchfield, in Michigan. In the spring of 1862, while in attendance at school he offered his services in defense of his country, enlisting in Company B, Eighty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which belonged to the department of the army then under the command of General George B. McClellan. The most important military event of his term of service was the protracted battle of Harper's Ferry, September 12-15, 1862, in which the Union forces Were captured by those of Stonewall Jackson, the latter having a very much larger force. In the fall of 1862, on account of the expiration of its term of enlistment, the Eighty-seventh Regiment was mustered out, and the members who had survived its many dangers returned to their homes, Mr. Chalker being one of them. In the spring of 1863, Mr. Chalker entered Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in June, 1866, with the degree of B. A., later receiving that of M. A. During 1866-7 he served as principal of Dixon Seminary, at Dixon, Illinois, and in the year following he accepted the superintendency of the public schools at Darlington, Wisconsin. But while successful to a flattering degree as an educator, this was not the full extent of his ambition. In September, 1868, therefore, after some preliminary preparation, he entered the Albany Law School, and in 1869 he was graduated with the degree of B. L. In the fall of that year he entered upon the practice of his profession at Cameron, Missouri, where he remained until 1874. He then returned to Ohio, in the summer of that year locating in Akron, since which time, until recently, this city has been his home. 1092 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Mr. Chalker continued actively engaged in the practice of law until 1894, when he began to give the greater part of his attention to his other large and varied interests. He was one of the founders of the Peoples' Savings Bank at Akron, and of the Savings Bank at Barberton, owning a large amount of stock, and serving on the Board of Directors of the former institution. He owns a large amount of property, including a farm adjoining Southington, which he now makes his legal residence; also several hundred acres of land in the island of Cuba. He has purchased and improved a number of tracts in Summit County, several of these being new additions to Akron, notably that choice residence section known as North Hill: After giving up his law practice, Mr. Chalker, in 1895-6, made a busy trip 'around the globe, having previously visited, by preference, almost every interesting portion of his own land. Among the countries he visited on this trip were Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Nubia, India, Burmah, China, Japan and our own Sandwich Islands, in all of which he found much to interest a man of cultured mind. Mr. Chalker is identified politically with the Republican party. Since 1892 he has been a member of Buckley Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and has served as its commander. One of his distinguishing characteristics is his civic pride in regard to Akron, and another, his tender memory of the old home where he was reared, and of the locality with which his parents and grandparents were so closely identified. The old Methodist Church in which they worshipped has profited many hundreds of dollars by his bounty in the past few years. There has also just been completed at Southington the Newton-Chalker High School, which Mr. Chalker has erected at a cost of $20,000, and which was donated by him to the Board of Education, the donation ceremonies taking place on August 22, 1907. His charities have always been large, their full extent being known only to himself. His acquaintance is extensive, and his friend ships include individuals of taste, learning and culture in many parts of the world. JOHN WILLIAM SORRICK, M.D., one of Coventry Township's leading physicians and respected citizens, a veteran of the great Civil War, and a worthy representative of an old and honored Summit County family, was born March 10, 1848, in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, and is a son of Adam and Sophia (Hoy) Sorrick. John Sorrick, grandfather of John W., came from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, to Ohio in wagons, and settled in Franklin Township, Summit County, where the rest of his life was spent in clearing a farm from the woods. He passed a very eventful life, accumulated considerable property, and died at a ripe old age, honored and esteemed. He was the father of five children —Adam, John, Jacob, Solomon, and Ann. The last mentioned married Waldo Wagner. Adam Sorrick was a native of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and was about six years old when the family came to Ohio in 1817. He grew up on his father's farm and was reared to agricultural pursuits, but in his youth became a successful surveyor, which occupation he carried on to quite an extent in connection with farming. His death occurred in 1860, and that of his wife in 1889, when she was in her seventy-third year. Mr. and Mrs. Sorrick were the parents of thirteen children, of whom eight grew to maturity, namely: Oliver, A., a resident of Akron ; John William ; Marshall H., who lives at Grand Rapids, Michigan ; Thomas E., now, deceased ; Alice Ann, who is the widow of B. F. Grove ; Lewis E. and Charles 0., deceased ; and Mary E., who married Rev. E. P. Wise, of East Liverpool, Ohio. John William Sorrick was reared on his father's farm in Franklin Township, and secured his primary education in the district schools. In 1871 he began reading medicine with Dr. A. Sisler of Manchester, Ohio, and he was later under the preceptorship of Dr. W. C. Jacobs of Akron. He then entered the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1095 Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he was graduated with his degree in 1875, when he immediately formed a partnership with Dr. Jacobs, with whom he remained three years. Dr. Sorrick spent three months in a trip to Paris, France, to visit the first exposition, and on hi. return settled at Thomastown for two years, subsequently locating at his present offices, which he purchased from David Tritt in 1885. In 1898 Dr. Sorrick joined au Alaskan gold hunting party, but after about a year's unsuccessful prospecting he returned to his home, although he still owns claims above the arctic circle. Dr. Sorrick is now engaged in a very successful general practice at East Akron, where he has the confidence of the community. At the age of sixteen years, Dr. Sorrick enlisted in Company A, 191st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served eight months to the close of the war, when he received his honorable discharge. He can still call the roll from memory, and is a popular comrade of Buckley Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Akron. On July 3, 1884, Dr. Sorrick was married to Lucy S. Neitz, who was a daughter of Elias and Mary Neitz. She died April 28, 1904, aged thirty-nine years. To Dr. and Mrs. Sorrick there were born four children, two of whom died in infancy. The survivors are: Kenneth Blaine, who married Maggie Whitfield, and resides at East Akron ; and Esther, who makes her home with her father. CLINTON RUCKEL, whose valuable farm of 100 acres is situated at Fairlawn, on the Medina road, three miles west of Akron, has a home which excites favorable comment from every visitor through this section. Mr. Ruckel was born in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1840, and is a son of George and Hannah (Crevling) Ruckel. The parents of Mr. Ruckel left Pennsylvania in 1846, and made the overland journey in a covered wagon to Three Rivers, Michigan, with the intention of buying a farm. Conditions there did not suit them, and the family all came to Medina County, Ohio, where the father invested in a small farm. This he cultivated for three years and then sold it and moved to Tallmadge Township, Summit County, where he bought some good land, and both he and wife died there. Clinton Ruckel was six years of age when his parents left Pennsylvania, and he was mainly reared in Ohio, attending school in Tallmadge Township and also two terms in the Middlebury, now the Sixth Ward school, at Akron. The country at this time was in an unsettled condition, owing to the Civil War, and on August 5, 1862, Mr. Ruckel threw in his lot with the defenders of the Union, enlisting in Company H, 104th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and contracting to serve until the end of the war. His regiment was attached to the Army of the Ohio, under General Schofield, who subsequently joined his forces to those of General Sherman for the Atlanta campaign. After the capture of Atlanta the Twenty-third Army Corps, to which Mr. Ruckel's regiment belonged, was sent back to Tennessee. During the first year of service, his regiment was mainly involved in the fighting in Kentucky, participating in the siege of Knoxville. In the spring of 1864, when the regiment went to Atlanta, it was in good condition, but from that expedition many never returned. With the exception of having his ear drum damaged from concussion at Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864, Mr. Ruckel was fortunate in suffering no serious injury. Having heroically performed his full duty as a soldier, he was mustered out at Greensboro, North Carolina, June 17, 1865. For a short time Mr. Ruckel rested at home with his parents and then went to work in a pottery at Akron, where he remained several years. In the spring of 1882 he settled, with his wife, on his present farm, which he began immediately to improve. All the substantial buildings, including the fine home, were erected by him. He has been engaged in general farming and dairying up to the present time. On November 10, 1869, Mr. Ruckel was married to Fannie A. Hart, who is a daughter of John C. and Margaret A. (Sterling) 1096 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Hart, early settlers in Summit County. John C. Hart, who was in his later years a railroad man, served in the War of 1812; he died very suddenly at Cincinnati in 1902. He left five children, one of whom—George—is living with his grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Ruckel have had two children: John C. and Lorena, both of whom are now deceased. The little daughter, Lorena, was accidentally killed by falling from a hammock, when aged five years. FRANK FOWLER LOOMIS, city electrician of Akron, and one of the most expert electrical engineers of Ohio, is a native of this city, where he was born in 1854, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Taylor) Loomis. Joseph Loomis located at Akron about 1845, and commanded one of the boats plying on the Akron Canal, which did a large business in those days. At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in Company H, Twenty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving until his death, in 1862, from the effects of a cold contracted while crossing the Cumberland River in the line of duty. His widow survived until 1892. Frank F Loomis was eight years old when his father died, and he was taken to the home of his uncle, who Operated a farm near Wadsworth, where he remained until 1868. He then came to Akron, where he worked for one year on the canal and one year for the Morrell Pottery Company. He then learned the blacksmith's trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years, and during that period became a member of the Akron Fire Department, an organization, with which he has remained identified ever since. In the very early days of the general study of electricity he became interested and soon began to experiment with motors and dynamos, ability for this line of work seeming to belong to him naturally. He soon devoted all of his time to experimenting and inventing, and has been very successful, not only in bringing out new inventions, but also in materially improving many old ones. He has had five patents granted him on motors and dynamos, and four patents on alarm boxes, two on electric drills and two on electric railway signals. It may not be generally known, for Mr. Loomis is modest, notwithstanding his many successes, that he designed and built the first electrical motor police patrol in the world. Since 1880 he has been city electrician at Akron. He practically started the Akron Electrical Manufacturing Company, and he owns stock in a number of other city enterprises. He is considered exceptionally expert in the placing of underground wires. In 1878 Mr. Loomis was married to Barbara Grad. Fraternally, he is an Elk and an Odd Fellow. C. W. MILLIKEN, M. D., one of Akron's representative medical men, who has been tablished in this city in the active practice o his profession for the past quarter of a cen tury, is well known all over Summit County. Dr. Milliken was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1856, belonging to an old pioneer family of that section. From the district schools Dr. Milliken entered the Western Reserve Academy at West Farmington, and completed his literary education at Scio, in Harrison County. Following this, he taught school for five years. In the meantime he engaged in the preliminary study of medicine, and in 1877 he entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 1880. He then served as an interne in the City Hospital of Harrisburg, and in the Philadelphia City Hospital, coming to Akron in 1882. Dr. Milliken has confined his attention to his profession and ranks very high, both as a physician and surgeon. He is a valued member of the Ohio State, the American and the Northwestern Ohio Medical Associations, whenever practicable, attending the conventions of these bodies, and frequently contributing to their literature. Dr. Milliken married Kathryn McEbright, who is a daughter of Dr. Thomas McEbright, of Akron. He takes considerable interest in local politics and has served as a. member of AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 1099 the Board of Education. His fraternal associations include membership in the Masonic and Odd Fellow bodies, and he belongs also to the Royal Arcanum and the Celsus club. URIAS C. WITNER, a prominent citizen and justice of the peace, in Portage Township, resides on a valuable farm of thirty-one and one-half acres, which has been his home since his marriage. He was born in Coventry Township, Summit County, Ohio, March 20, 1852, and is a son of Urias and Louisa (Heintz) Witner. The father of Justice 'Wither was born in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1822, and was a son of Daniel and a grandson of George Witner. The latter was the pioneer of the family to Summit County, where he secured land and formed the present site of Bechtel College. Daniel Witner remained in Pennsylvania, working as a weaver until 1828, and securing land, which is now included in the Fourth Ward of Akron, on which he lived for six years. He then purchased 113 acres in what is now Thorntontown, residing there for seven years, and then bought 151 acres on which he and wife lived until death: Of the thirteen children born to Daniel Witner and wife, Urias, the father of Urias C., was the third in order of birth. He was one year old when his parents came to Ohio, and with other members of the family, passed through the usual hardships of pioneer life, growing to manhood strong in body and vigorous in mind. He possessed in youth the qualities which made him friends. In 1850 he purchased a farm in Coventry Township, one which he cleared from the wilderness, and on which he still resides. Urias Witner married Louisa Heintz on April 30, 1846, with whom he celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of this event in 1906. Mrs. Wither was born in Germany, June 1, 1822, and is a daughter of Peter and Louisa (Bauer) Heintz. Her parents having died, she came to America with a sister. To Urias Witner and wife were born eleven children, the four present survivors being: Urias C., of Portage Township; Mathias, who married Louisa Hanauer; Adeline, who married William Bowers; and George, who married Lulu Killian. Mr. Witner is probably the oldest resident of Coventry Township. Both he and wife have long been valued members of the Baptist Church. Urias C. Wittier was reared in Coventry Township, and in boyhood attended the dis- . trict schools. Later he taught school, both in Coventry and Portage Townships. On April 2, 1885, he married Blanche Fenner, who is a daughter of Arthur Fenner, and they have four children, namely: Ava, Who is a popular teacher in the Grace school, is a graduate of Buchtel Academy and of the Normal school; Arthur, who is in the employ of the Goodrich Rubber Company; Joseph and Ruby. Following his marriage, Mr. Witner settled on his present farm, which he has greatly improved. In 1886 he erected a commodious frame residence, and in 1897 he remodeled it, introducing many modern comforts. Politically, he is a Democrat, and for twelve years served as a member of the School Board. In 1901 he was elected a justice of the peace and has -continued in office to the present time: He is a leading member of the Baptist Church. SHERMAN P. THOMPSON, one of Hudson Township's representative men, where he owns a large estate, consisting of 335 acres of valuable, highly-improved land, was born in Summit County, Ohio, February 2, 1840. He is a son of Hon. Sylvester H. and Caroline D. (Peck) Thompson, and a grandson of Dr. Moses Thompson. Dr. Moses Thompson was born January 22, 1776, at Goshen, Connecticut, where he was liberally educated and became a medical practitioner. On December 22, 1797, he married Elizabeth Mills and immediately afterward moved to Kinderhook, New York. There he practiced his profession until 1800, when he joined the first party of settlers coming to Summit County. He accompanied David